A Pint Less
by Shashoom
Summary: [One-shot] [KH3 Spoilers] Sora had disappeared right before their eyes, dread fills their hearts as they all wonder what to do. It's up to an odd duo of a talking duck and dog to talk some sense into everyone.


**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, it is the property of Disney and Square Enix.**

**I honestly have no reason for writing this other than the fact that I absolutely love Donald, Goofy and Sora's relationship in all the games, especially in KH3. Therefore I was kinda bummed out to see not a lot of fics giving them much love. Of course Riku and Kairi would be the most upset by Sora's disappearance and would definitely take action to bring him back, but there's nothing that would stop Donald and Goofy from doing whatever they can to help their fellow half-pint out, so this fic is really just here for that purpose. I'm sure some of the characters will come across as OOC but it's really just there to give some love to a couple of characters who I think deserve a bit more than what they usually get. **

* * *

They had believed him when he said that he'll be back, despite all his faults they all knew in their hearts that when Sora made a promise, come Hell or high water, he would fulfill it; so they wait, it might take days or it might take years, but they'll all wait.

In the meanwhile, life goes on. Two of their friends are not here, yes, but that's no excuse to pause life and wallow in misery. They all headed home: King Mickey and his loyal subordinates, namely Donald, Goofy and Jiminy returned to Disney Castle after an extended sojourn on various worlds; Roxas, Axel, Xion and Isa found a new home in the real Twilight Town, a fresh start for all with the help of the local trio – Pence, Olette and Hayner; Ventus, Terra and Aqua made their way back to the home they believed to have forever said goodbye to, the Land of Departure, to lay their late Master to rest, they move forward into better days; and the Nobody no one could forget, Namine, was finally given what she had desired for so long, a chance to truly be. Hand-in-hand with Riku, she steps forward into the first day of the rest of her life.

* * *

What an odd group of eccentric characters, who would have imagined that such a strange collection of idiosyncratic personalities would form the forces of Light and battle the Seekers of Darkness; who could have imagined that they'd ever win? Well, despite all odds, they did, in fact, win, and now they celebrate their victory. It isn't a large banquet, or a grand festival held in their honor, rather it's something far simpler and quaint, and befitting these characters and the bond they've formed: a friendly race between Terra, Roxas and Riku, adjudicated by the King and the blue haired Keyblade Master, close by another group participates in another competition – building sand sculptures; Hayner, Pence and Olette against the odd duck and dog duo, unfortunately the latter's hard work is ruined, thanks to the ill thrown Frisbee courtesy of Ventus who had been playing with Axel and Isa, and closer to the water we have the Nobody and the Replica, serenely fishing out sea shells. Under the incandescent rays of the setting sun, it's an idyllic image of friendship and camaraderie, missing only two components… however, that quickly changes.

Their eyes instinctively turn to the bent Papou tree, a wave of relief and joy passing over them as their gaze sets upon the young couple sitting atop the aforementioned tree. They all release a collective sigh, thinking the exact same thing: He did it. There was never a doubt in their minds, of course, Sora always came through.

Except, however, things aren't as simple this time. Their brows furrowed, they all look on in trepidation as Sora's figure begins to fade away, until finally they only see the red haired girl by the name of Kairi sitting atop the tree, her gaze downcast. They all rush towards her, wondering what had happened.

"Kairi!" Riku is the first to reach her and the first to speak. Kairi doesn't shift her gaze, continuing to look downwards. "Kairi…" Everyone else reaches the spot, calling to her. She continues to ignore them, no one understands the current situation, and therefore they're fearful of the possible explanation.

"What… what just happened?" The King is the first to break the ice.

"He's gone." A low, indistinct whisper escapes Kairi's lips, however they all hear her loud and clear.

"What… what do y'mean?" Riku shakily asks, his voice cracking the slightest bit. She shakes her head, the tears prominent on her cheeks. She finally turns to them, a small, dejected smile adorning her face. "He saved me, and he paid the price; he's gone."

Everyone holds their breath, the answer had shaken them to their very core. A part of them knew that this was a possibility, the King had been adamant about not letting Sora go, stating that the Power of Waking was not a power to be misused, that a heavy sanction awaits the person who does indeed misuse it. However, in their unshakable belief and confidence in Sora, they had let themselves believe that, whatever the price, whatever the consequence, Sora would be able to overcome it and return to them. Now, despite the return of such an important friend, they all question whether it was worth it.

Roxas, Ventus and Xion clutch their chests, trying their hardest to form some connection with Sora, hoping to feel a trace of his existence, but they feel nothing other than their own heart beating furiously against their chest. How strange, to touch your own chest and hope to feel the beating heart of another. Everyone else had turned to them, hoping that perhaps they could shed some light on the issue and give them hope; they all simultaneously shake their heads.

"I shouldn't have let him go!" Riku yells out after a minute of silence passes. They all turn to him in surprise, not expecting such a loud outburst from the otherwise reticent Keyblade Master.

"Sora's an idiot, he had to just – what the hell was he thinking?!" Riku's hands had curled up into fists, shaking ever so slightly. "Riku… You said it yourself: once Sora's made up his mind, nothing can stop him." The King spoke up, hoping to comfort his friend despite his own sorrow and guilt for letting Sora go.

"Yeah." "We couldn't stop him, no matter what." "It isn't your fault, Riku." Everyone chimed in, a chorus of reassuring statements to lift Riku's spirits.

Tears were beginning to form, Riku was having trouble keeping his emotions in check. Kairi chuckles.

"He gets to get away with this. He gets to disappear while the rest of us mourn. That's so like him." She snickers in contempt, clearly hurt, more than anyone else, by Sora's sacrifice.

"Kairi, that's not – you know it's not like that." Namine steps towards Kairi, bending down and holding her lightly. "Sora loves you, you know that. If the roles were reversed, you know you would do the same thing."

"Yeah, we're just a bunch of idiots who can't live without the other. But I have to do that now, don't I? I have to live the rest of my life without him!" The despondent look in her eyes, coupled with her heartbroken words were beginning to become too much for any of the residents of the beach. No one knew how to handle the situation.

"A-hyuck. Jeez, fellas, why's everyone acting like Sora's gone for good?" Everyone's head whips towards the anthropomorphic duo, raising their eyebrows in curiosity.

"Yeah, what's the big idea?!" The shorter of the duo quacks out in anger.

"What are you two on about? We saw it clear as day, Sora disappeared, confirmed by those three." Isa callously points to Roxas, Ventus and Xion as he rebukes Donald and Goofy.

"Well, fellas, from what I know, nobody knew Xion and Ventus were inside Sora's heart. There was nothing saying they coulda been saved." Goofy earnestly replies.

"Yeah, but they're out now. They just had to wait a bit, and we all had to bust our butts to get them out." Donald added, his statement making some of the others to let out a huff of amusement.

"So what's to say that Sora can't come back either? If they can do it, gawrsh, so can Sora."

"So what, you're saying Sora's fine? How do you know that?" Axel steps forward, confused by the duo's optimism.

"We know, 'cause it's Sora!" Goofy enthusiastically responds. His vehement reply stirs something in Kairi, who, up till now, continued to stare at the ground. Rising up, she takes a step forward, Namine next to her, holding her hand. "You two really think that?" She tentatively inquires.

"Sure we do! You didn't see him when he fought an army of Heartless back in Hollow Bastion." Donald almost unintelligibly states.

"Gawrsh, you didn't see him fight a dragon, or Ansem, or even Xehanort. Sora ain't one to give up that easily." Goofy fervently adds.

"Or Xemnas." Riku is taken out of his depressed stupor and recollects when the two of them fought against the malignant Nobody.

"That's what makes him one of the three half-pints! Nothing takes us down easy!" Donald crosses his arms, a sense of pride and adoration in his stance.

"Fellas, it's well and good that you believe in Sora so much, believe me, I wanna believe in him, too, but the fact of the matter is, the Power of Waking is an arcane power, the consequences of misusing it dire." The King had no desire to rain on everyone's parade but he didn't want to expect the best when they should rather be accepting reality.

"Your Majesty, with all due respect, you don't know Sora as well as we do." Donald retaliates. Mickey is taken aback, of course he's used to Donald's anger and temperament but seldom does Donald calmly deny or reject anything he says.

"Sorry, your Majesty, but it's true. Sora always bounces back, no matter what. So everyone, don't ya worry, we just need to give him time." Goofy smiles reassuringly at everyone.

"Heh, like he'll be able to get back on his own. The lazy bum's gonna need us to help him out like always." Donald taps his webbed foot impatiently. "I told him we shoulda gone with him, he wouldn't be in this mess if he let us come along." Donald was none too happy about the current predicament, more annoyed at Sora than anything else.

"You two really believe in him, huh?" Terra pipes up, not knowing what to say in the situation due to the fact that he's spent the least amount of time with Sora. Before the two can respond, however, Ventus chimes in. "Besides Riku and Kairi, Donald and Goofy are the most important people in Sora's life. I know, his heart revealed as much." Roxas and Xion nod in affirmation.

The King's ears droop slightly as he realizes that nothing he can say or do will shake his subordinates' unwavering faith in their fellow half-pint.

Kairi wipes away the tears, a genuine smile crossing her features. Moving forward she grabs Riku's hand, the action surprising the latter. "Guess we two forgot how much of a stubborn idiot Sora is. Of course he won't stay away, he can't; he loves us all too much." Her statement brings a smile to Riku's face, his eyes shining with newfound determination.

"You're probably right, Donald, he needs our help getting back, he's lost without us around." Riku turns towards Donald, giving him a gracious smile.

"Of course, we'll help in any way we can. We owe Sora a great deal, too. Without him we'd be lost." Aqua emphatically proclaims, a fire in her eyes that displayed her desire to bring Sora home. Terra and Ventus yell out 'yeah' in confirmation.

"Oh what the heck, little twerp's the only reason all of us are here. Plus, I'm guessing it's part of a Keyblade wielder's duty to help out their comrades." Axel smirks as he tosses his two cents in.

"Don't have all the rules memorized?" Isa coolly mocks the fiery red head, using his signature catchphrase against him. Axel simply punches his arm in response. Roxas and Xion giggle at this, taking a step forward and declaring a similar sentiment. "We wouldn't be standing here without Sora, so count us in!"

The Twilight Trio had stood in the back, hesitant to talk, believing themselves to be out of place, however witnessing all of this lights a fire inside them. Speaking for the first time since this all affair began, Hayner steps forward. "We can't offer much, but expect us three to help out too." He waves towards Pence and Olette, nodding their heads vigorously in agreement. "Sora's a friend, and you always gotta have a friend's back, no matter how often they get into dumb situations." Hayner jokingly adds, earning a light chuckle from most everyone present.

This would only leave the King.

"Gosh, fellas. I'd be lying if I said I'm as hopeful as all of you." Uttering his words in a soft voice, the King feels the tension in the air. "But I'd also be lying if I said that Sora hasn't proven me wrong before." The King perks up, his answer was sufficient.

"A-hyuck, guess everybody just needed t'be reminded about how stubborn Sora is." Goofy laughs good-naturedly. Donald nods his head. "No kidding! Sora's a big doof but he promised us that he'll come home. And when he does, we just need to kick his butt for worrying us at all." Donald summons his wand, a spark of electricity surging through. "Good fer nothin', always doing dumb things. Wait til' I get my hands on that little –" The rest of his words were completely unintelligible, however, judging by everyone's snickering, they had most likely filled in the rest of his statement with crude expletives.

"Donald, Goofy, thanks. For everything: being with Sora, fighting alongside him and us, and for this." Riku states the group's gratitude for the duo. Everyone affirms, a chorus of 'yeah' and 'thank you' filling the air.

Kairi, walking past everyone, engulfs the two in a tight hug. "Thanks, you two. I'm glad Sora has friends like you." She releases the two but still has her hands placed firmly on their shoulders. "And I'm glad that we have you two as friends as well." Kairi adds in, her heartfelt statement making Donald blush, who tries to squirm out of her touch, quacking in embarrassment as Goofy chuckles at his bashful behavior.

"No problem, Kairi."

"Let's get to it then. We don't know what we have to do just yet, but I'm guessing Master Yen Sid might have a clue." Riku's statement spurs everyone into action as they all start walking towards the Gummi ship parked on the other side of the island. Ventus, Terra and Aqua have their Keyblades transform into Gliders and hastily open a Lane Between that leads them to the Mysterious Tower.

As they all make their way to the ship, Donald and Goofy share a brief conversation.

"We gotta get him back quick, it don't feel right without him around." Donald mutters.

"Gawrsh, yer right, Donald. The 3 half-pints can't only have 2."

"So let's go get him."

"All for one…" Goofy begins.

"And one for all!" Donald finishes.

Needless to say, Sora is very lucky to have such an amazing group of friends.


End file.
